A Unit Plan for
Main Idea and
Supporting Details
Created by Leslie
Anne Shilling
Unit Outline
1) UNIT INTRODUCTION
a. This unit will focus on the ability to identify the main idea of a passage and its supporting
details. Students need to be able to read a passage and select the main idea when given
multiple options. I chose this topic based on results from the Think Link Assessment. My
students scored poorly in this area and I decided to create a focused unit to work on this
skill.
b. The unit will be taught to a 5th grade Reading, Language Arts, and Social Studies class.
c. The unit consists of 5 lessons.
d. Description of learning group
i. Detailed description of group to receive instruction
1. This unit was taught to 2 classes at Thurgood Marshall Middle School.
The class was a Reading, Language Arts, and Social Studies class.
2. Class A consists of 8 girls and 11 boys. This class is made up of 32%
African American, 42% Caucasian, and 21% Middle Eastern and Egyptian
students.
3. Class B consists of 10 girls and 11 boys. This class was made up of 24%
African American, 32% Hispanic, 29% Caucasian, and 24% Middle
Eastern and Egyptian students.
4. There was no specific data available about the break-down of students on
free and reduced lunch for these classes. None of the students in class
were receiving Special Education or ELL services.
ii. Demographics of school
1. Thurgood Marshall Demographic Information
a. Total Enrollment-1,104
b. Setting for school- Urban
c. Percentage of each in the school:
i. Asian- 3.3%
ii. African American- 52.3%
iii. Hispanic- 24.5%
iv. Caucasian- 19.9%
v. Free/Reduced Lunch- 74%
vi. Special Education- 10.7%
vii. ELL- 9%
viii. Other- Many students are from the Middle East and Egypt.
2) UNIT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
a. Goals
i. To create a well-developed passage summary (Grade 5, Standard 3 Writing:
0501.3.7)
ii. To choose a sentence that best supports the topic sentence and fits the flow of
ideas in a paragraph. (Grade 5, Standard 3 Writing: SPI 0501.3.9)
iii. To select stated or implied main idea and supporting details from text (Grade 5
Reading 5.1.spi.11.)
b. Objectives
i. Instructional
1. TSWBAT choose the supporting sentence that best fits the context and
flow of ideas in a paragraph. (SPI 0501.3.3)
2. TWBAT identify the sentence irrelevant to a paragraph’s theme or flow.(
SPI 0501.3.4)
3. TSWBAT select an appropriate concluding sentence for a well-developed
paragraph. (SPI 0501.3.5)
4. TSWBAT select details that support a topic sentence.(SPI 0501.3.7)
5. TSWBAT select an appropriate title that reflects the topic of a written
selection. (SPI 0501.3.12)
ii. Behavioral
1. TSWBAT check for understanding after reading by selecting main idea
and supporting details from text (5.1.08)
2. TSW participate in cooperative learning activities
3. TSW complete graphic organizers
4. TSW cooperate with fellow students to complete assignments
3) LESSON PLANS- added onto the end before Unit Analysis
4) PROCEDURES AND ACTIVITIES
a. Initiating Activity- Puzzle Activity. I will place a puzzle under the Elmo. Key details of
the puzzle will be covered with pieces of paper so students cannot tell what the puzzle is
a picture of. I will remove one piece of paper at a time and then re-cover the detail.
Students will identify the details and see how individual details create one main idea.
b. Outline of Procedures to Achieve Goals
i. Pre-Assessment
ii. Identify main ideas of poems
iii. Distinguish between details and main idea of newspaper articles.
iv. Identify main idea, write a concluding sentence, and create a title for a passage
v. Select the main idea, create a title based on the main idea, and write a concluding
sentence
vi. Identify details that support a main idea, select the main idea, and identify the
sentence that doesn’t belong
vii. Read a passage and select the main idea
c. Culminating Activity
i. Problem solving and cooperative learning activity- Mini Mysteries
1. Students work in groups to read a mystery passage, identify the main idea,
solve the mystery, and answer a series of critical thinking questions.
5) INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES in LESSON PLANS
a. Direct Instruction- Most lessons contain an element of direct instruction. Lesson one is
entirely direct instruction. I lead students in the puzzle activity and explain what main
idea is and how to identify it in a passage or picture.
i. Lesson 2- Instruction and examples of how to distinguish between main idea and
details
ii. Lesson 3- Instruction and examples about identifying the main idea, how to write
a concluding sentence, and developing a title for a passage
iii. Lesson 4- Instruction and examples of sentences that do and do not support the
main idea of a passage
b. Cooperative Learning (small group or partner)i. Lesson 1- Students work in small groups to identify a title for a scene from a
puzzle. Students also work in small groups to identify the main idea of 3 poems.
ii. Lesson 3- Students work in small groups to select the main idea and develop a
title and concluding sentence for 2 passages.
iii. Lesson 5- Mini Mysteries- Students will work in small groups to solve Mini
Mysteries
c. Problem Solving or Inquiry- Lesson 5: Students will work in small groups to solve Mini
Mysteries
d. Technology
i. Primary-education-oasis.com
ii. http://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/weblessons/gettheidea/default.htm#page5
iii. http://www.primary-education-oasis.com/support-files/mainidea5.pdf
e. Independent Work
i. Lesson 2: Two-word Weekend Summary, Identify Main Idea or Detail sheet
ii. Lesson 3: “What’s the Main Idea” Practice Packet- Students practice selecting the
main idea, titling a passage, and writing a concluding sentence.
iii. Lesson 4: Students select the main idea, identify the sentence that would fit best
in the passage, and decide which sentence does not support the theme.
f. Focus on Diversity
i. Throughout all of the lessons, I used diverse topics, subjects, and themes. I tried
to use different passages that would appeal to different students.
ii. Many sample or practice passages were based on Social Studies topics.
iii. In Lesson 5, Instructional Diversity is highlighted by the use of 4 different
mystery stories. Students worked in heterogeneous groups. These groups
consisted of varying reading levels so that the higher leveled students could assist
the lower leveled students. This worked extremely well.
6) INSTRUCTIONAL AIDS AND RESOURCES
a. Text and other reference material (what you use to develop unit)i. Teacher Created Resources- #466 Using the Newspaper to Teach Reading Skills
b. Literature selections (children’s literature)i. If I Ran the School- Bruce Lansky
1. Book Review: Bruce Lansky, the "King of Giggle Poetry", has written
five new poems for this book and selected nineteen others from some of
his favorite poets, including Jack Prelutsky, Kenn Nesbitt, Ted Scheu, and
Robert Pottle. From goodreads
c. Technologyi. PowerPoint Slides with student tasks to be completed
ii. Elmo Projector
iii. http://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/weblessons/gettheidea/default.htm#page5
iv. http://www.primary-education-oasis.com/support-files/mainidea5.pdf
v. http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/02/lp258-04.shtml
vi. http://www.rhlschool.com/read6n7.htm
d. Visual aids- Puzzle, graphic organizers
7) FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
a. Lesson 2- Identify Main Idea or Detail sheet; students underline the main idea and details
in separate colors and write the main idea of the passage.
b. Lesson 3- “What’s the Main Idea?” Practice Packet (Students practice selecting the main
idea, titling a passage, and writing a concluding sentence)
c. Lesson 4- Thursday Packet (Students select the main idea, identify the sentence that
would fit best in the passage, and decide which sentence does not support the theme)
8) PRE/POST ASSESSMENT
a. Pre-assessment- Students will read 3 paragraphs and select the main idea for each.
Students are given 4 options for each paragraph. This is how they are tested on TCAP so
it is how I chose to assess as well.
b. Post-assessment- Students will read 3 paragraphs and select the main idea for each.
Students are given 4 options for each paragraph. This is how they are tested on TCAP so
it is how I chose to assess as well.
c. Impact on student learning
i. The pre-test revealed
9) UNIT ANALYSIS- Located after Lesson Plans